Palin had said on CNN on Tuesday that the Pope has "had some statements that to me sound kind of liberal, has taken me aback, has kind of surprised me."

Palin clarified in the interview that she was relying on media reports in drawing that conclusion.

In a Facebook post Thursday, she said the media indeed got it wrong and that she shouldn't have relied on it before investigating the matter for herself.

"...It was not my intention to be critical of Pope Francis," Palin wrote. " I was reminding viewers that we need to do our own homework on news subjects, and I hadn't done mine yet on the Pope's recent comments as reported by the media. Knowing full well how often the media mischaracterizes a person’s comments (especially a religious leader’s), I don’t trust them to get it right when it comes to reporting on the Vatican.

Palin said that, since she made her comments, Catholics have assured her that the Pope is a "sincere and faithful" leader of the church.

"I apologize for not being clearer in my response, thus opening the door to critical media that does what it does best in ginning up controversy," Palin said.

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